Bouglione family, so they also worked on the famous Cirque Bouglione in Paris. This indoor show was the setting for the movie, "Trapeze." Every time you see a juggler in that movie, you are seeing Sampion.

 

He met his wife, Marie France, while both were working for Cirque Bouglione. They came to the United States for the first time in 1965 with their infant son Jurgens. They eventually settled permanently in Sarasota, Fla. At age 56, Sampion's juggling career is still going strong.

 

His son, Jurgens Timmermans, 27, was born in Paris. He spent most of his first 17 years there, completing his formal educa­tion and learning circus skills from his uncles at Cirque Bouglione. In the summers he would join his parents working in the United States. Like them he now resides full-time here, and holds dual citizenship.

 

Jurgens was not enthusiastic about juggling when he first learned it from his father. He gave it up altogether for a few years, concentrating his efforts on sword balancing and hand balancing. But when he was 20 he began to juggle seriously, practicing a lot with his father and with his best friend and fellow juggler Armando Cristiani. Jurgens has toured all over the United States, Canada and in Europe, often accompanying his parents and sharing in a three-ring juggling display with his father. In the off season he works as a union stage hand in Sarasota.

 

Benni Fornasari, 34, learned to juggle as soon as he could walk, coached by his mother, Anita, and his older brother, Doadi. Born in Novarra, Italy, a suburb of Milan, Benni first came to this country at the age of two with his family to work on a circus that was owned by their cousins, the Cristianis. Fornasari's mother, who no longer performs, was once an antipodist, and also worked a club passing act with her family. His father, Italo, did a comedy flying act and a trampo­line act, including leaps over elephants. He is also an outstanding musical clown, and is still performing. Italo can remember working with Enrico Rastelli, and recalled "He was a genius! But crazy! Never stopped juggling. When he ate, he juggled the food, the knife, the fork..."

 

Benni specialized in juggling until he was 17, then stopped altogether so he could

work with his two brothers on a flying act and a trampoline act. In 1988 a traffic accident left him with back injuries that sidelined him completely. Then in 1991, painfully, he took up juggling again. He practices during every spare moment, and works out with weights as well. He notices that he is much less flexible now, but he has managed to regain his original act, which includes four soccer balls, five clubs and seven rings (nine in practice).

 

Benni and his family have worked all over the United States and Europe. In 1980 they were invited to compete at the Circus Festival in Monte Carlo. In 1981 they competed in the Circus World Championships in Lon­don. They also performed for the Pope at the Vatican.

 

Benni is married and has two small children who are already picking up circus skills from their parents, grandparents and uncles. The kids are also multilingual, slipping from English to Italian to Portuguese with the ease of a three ball flash.

 

Working together in a single ring, Sampion, Jurgens and "Stefano" (Benni) play to a common rhythm. While their individual styles stand out clearly, no one attempts to steal the focus from the others. Interestingly, they all favor the use of hand-built props. Their clubs are made of ash dowels, with either cork, bamboo or wicker forming the main body, which is then covered with either cloth or painted tape. Sampion's clubs, built by his father, have seen more than 30 years of hard service!

 

While all three intend to continue juggling professionally, they agree that it is becoming a difficult way to earn a living. Whether the next generation of Fornasaris or Timmermans will carry on the family juggling tradition is anyone's guess, but if they do, they can be assured of a good start in the business.